This is not the news the NFL needs on a Monday morning — while awaiting a possible Tom Brady suspension.
In a shocking report — the The Department of Defense and the New Jersey National Guard doled out more tha $5.4 million to the Jets and 13 other NFL teams over the last four seasons to honor military members at MetLife Stadium games, according to federal contracts obtained by The Star-Ledger of Newark.
The Jets and 13 other NFL teams took $5.4 million in taxpayer money between 2011 and 2014 to give shoutouts to America’s war heroes, while making it appear they were doing it out of true appreciation.
In the agreement with the military, Gang Green officials used some of the money to recognize service members as “Hometown Heroes” during home games, and to host them at events like the team’s “Kickoff Lunch.”
The team was also paid to allow military members to work alongside players and personnel at the team’s Hometown Huddle charity event.
The bulk of the bucks given to the NFL teams, $5.3 million, came from the National Guard.
The Giants, Mets and Yankees did not receive military money, but have all staged events to honor the armed forces.
It strikes me as unseemly that these teams realize the public believes they’re honoring these service members as a public service,” Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said in a statement Sunday to the Daily News.
“So to find out they’re doing it because they’re being compensated leaves a bad taste in your mouth,” said Flake, who slammed the practice as a waste of taxpayer money.
